President Donald Trump has downplayed the likelihood of a military conflict between the United States and Venezuela but suggested that President Nicolás Maduro’s hold on power may soon end.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump was asked directly if the US was preparing for war with Venezuela. “I doubt it. I don’t think so,” he responded. “But they’ve been treating us very badly.”
The comment comes amid ongoing US military operations targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. The Trump administration insists the strikes are part of efforts to stop narcotics from entering the United States, not an attempt to remove Maduro from power.
Trump rejected claims that the operations were politically motivated, stating they were “about many things.” At least 64 people have reportedly been killed by US strikes since early September, according to CBS News.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump said:
“Every single boat that you see that’s shot down kills 25,000 on drugs and destroys families all over our country.”
Pressed on whether the US would consider launching strikes on Venezuelan soil, Trump refused to rule it out. “I wouldn’t be inclined to say that I would do that,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do with Venezuela — if I was going to do it or if I wasn’t.”
Maduro has repeatedly accused Washington of “fabricating a new war,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro has described the US operations as a bid to “dominate” Latin America.
Trump also criticized illegal immigration from Venezuela, claiming that violent gangs such as Tren de Aragua were entering the US. He described the group as “the most vicious gang anywhere in the world.”
On the issue of nuclear weapons testing, Trump suggested the US should resume testing to match countries like Russia and China. Asked if he planned to detonate a nuclear weapon for the first time in more than three decades, he replied:
“I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes.”
Although Russia and China have not conducted nuclear tests since the 1990s, Trump alleged they had resumed testing secretly. “They don’t go and tell you about it,” he said.
However, Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that any proposed tests would involve “non-critical explosions” — experiments on components of nuclear weapons rather than full detonations.
Trump also addressed the ongoing US government shutdown, now in its second month, blaming Democrats for the crisis. He described them as “crazed lunatics” who had “lost their way,” but expressed confidence that they would eventually agree to reopen the government.
This appearance marked Trump’s first 60 Minutes interview since he sued CBS’s parent company, Paramount, over a 2024 broadcast featuring then–Vice President Kamala Harris. The case was settled for $16 million, earmarked for Trump’s future presidential library.
Trump’s last major 60 Minutes interview was in 2020, when he abruptly ended the session, accusing the network of bias.
